Video: How Perception Influences the Communication Process

Perception's effect on the communication process is all about how the same message can be interpreted differently by different people. Distortions, such as stereotypes, projections and halo effects, all affect worker relationships and productivity.2014-06-14

Perception's effect on the communication process is all about how the same message can be interpreted differently by different people. Distortions, such as stereotypes, projections and halo effects, all affect worker relationships and productivity.

Perception

Do you remember the first time you met your best friend? What was your initial thought about that person? Did you think they looked scary, funny, smart, stupid or intimidating? Your initial thoughts that ran through your mind were your perceptions of the person. Perception is the processing, interpreting, selecting and organizing of information. Perception's effect on the communication process is all about how the same message can be interpreted differently by different people.

In order to communicate effectively, business people need to spend time to fully investigate job applicants. They should also not judge an individual by just first their impression. Perhaps you thought your future best friend was a serious, shy person due to the fact that they dressed conservatively and wore glasses. In the end, your perception could have been incorrect, as your friend turned out to be very extroverted. People can filter out certain information to make it align with their own thoughts, beliefs and judgments.

Nicholas is in charge of hiring a new manager for the Honey Cake Company's sales division. He has set up a number of candidates to interview for the position. Let's take a look at how perception plays a role in communicating in business.

Factors That Affect Perception

Past experiences, culture and present feelings are all examples of factors that can affect perceptions. For example, Nicholas has had great success hiring graduates from the local university fraternity, Phi Sig Mi. His past experiences with those graduates lead him to perceive that fraternity members are better suited for the position than any other candidate.

Attribution Theory

In order to understand perception's effect on communication, it helps to understand how individuals try and make sense of their judgments. The attribution theory helps give reasoning or cause for an action by assigning explanations to events. In other words, it allows an individual to give a reason for the result of an action.

For example, Nicholas believes that the last salesperson was fired due to not keeping up with their sales reports. His perception is that the person had a lazy personality. He felt that the sales person must have been fired due to laziness. In actuality, the sales rep was going through a divorce and had become depressed. It was a challenge to keep up with the reports. The attribution theory is an easy way for people to come up with reasons that they perceive is the correct implication that caused an event.

Distortions

Perception issues in workplace communication can lead to a number of distortions, which are biases or judgments of others. This is where problems in communication can develop. Stereotypes, projections and halo effects are all type of distortions. Stereotypes are when individuals use generalizations that are inaccurate to judge people.

During the interview process, Nicholas felt that many of the female candidates would not be able to do the job. He felt they were way too attractive to actually be smart enough. He stereotypically believed that smart females are not attractive. This incorrect perception cost him good candidates and also set him up for a few discriminatory lawsuits.

Projections is a psychological term that means people who suffer from an inadequacy seek to accuse others of having the same issue. For example, Nicholas can be very dismissive and not emotionally available to his workers. Ironically, Nicholas complains constantly that his bosses are very dismissive and never give him a chance to talk.

Another distortion is called the halo effect, which is when an overall general perception about someone is then also forwarded to specific traits about that individual. A classic example is Nicholas's view of his boss. He feels that his boss, in his expensive suits and fancy cars, must be nice and smart. Celebrities are also viewed the same way. People assume if a celebrity is beautiful, then they also must be nice and funny.

Lesson Summary

Perception is the processing, interpreting, selecting and organizing of information. Perception's effect on the communication process is all about how the same message can be interpreted differently by different people. In order to communicate effectively, business people need to spend time to fully investigate job applicants. They should not judge an individual by just their first impression. Companies must make sure whether or not a worker is a good fit, not just judge them by their first impression.

In addition, companies should check references and offer a probationary period before hiring someone full-time. Perception issues in workplace communication can lead to a number of distortions, which are biases or judgments of others. This is where problems in communication can develop.

Stereotypes, projections and halo effects are all type of distortions. All types of issues can develop when distortions affect worker relationships and productivity. Knowing and acknowledging these distortions can be an important first step for looking past first impressions and communicating more effectively. Nicholas learned the hard way, as he ended up being served with multiple lawsuits based on his stereotypical type of distortion.

Learning Outcomes

Now that you have completed this lesson, you could:

Define perception and understand how it can positively or negatively affect a business environment

Summary:

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